Abrasive articles can generate a great deal of dust, particularly when used on wood. This dust, also known as swarf, is not only inconvenient, but it also obscures the view of the surface being abraded and can load the abrasive article being used. Many manufacturers therefore sell tools with integral or readily attachable vacuum exhaust systems design to suck away dust as it is formed. This is typically done by applying a vacuum to the back of the tool to which the abrasive article is attached and providing holes through the tool and through the abrasive article for evacuation of the dust as it is generated.
However, there is a problem in that the pattern of dust evacuation holes in the tools is not standardized such that abrasive articles intended for use with one particular tool will often not align with the dust evacuation holes of another tool. For optimal dust extraction, the holes on the abrasive article and its support tool need to be identical and fully aligned. Typically, a user cannot change the hole configuration on the abrasive article while keeping the existing tool without losing performance. To maintain equal performance or improve performance, the user would have to change tools completely.
Currently, many hole configurations are available on the market which are not inter-compatible. This means that the retailer selling to the Do-It-Yourself (“DIY”) market must keep at least two different stocks of abrasive articles, in all grit sizes, if the retailer is to be able to service the needs of all his customers. This consumes valuable shelf space which becomes very inconvenient as the number of DIY products for which replacement abrasive materials must be stocked increases.